On Vacation
by Moonlight Shadow4
Summary: InuKag--Kagome and Inu-Yasha are at it again! They're tired and completely worn out. Someone has got to give them a big break.... They need a vacation.
1. Where There's a Problem

~*~*~*~*~*

            _Disclaimer: _The series Inu-Yasha does not belong to me. I wish it did, but then again, Rumiko Takahashi is great and I love to read her manga and watch the anime. So, maybe I don't. But I love the storyline and all the characters, except Kikyo and Naraku. Viz, Shonen Sunday/Shogukan, Ocean Productions, and any other place that contributes to or distributes Inu-Yasha, besides Rumiko Takahashi, are the true owners. Ok, here I go!

_Chapter 1: __Where's There's a Problem, There's a Solution_

                Musashi was rather peaceful, basking in the after glow of the Feudal sun. Fiery autumn leaves fluttered about the small village, some settling about the five-hundred-year-old Goshinboku. Assortments of songbirds chirped cheerily as they flew about in the cooling, yet still warm, currents of wind.  Alas and alack, though, the people of Lady Kaede's village weren't at such ease.

                "Grr! I still don't know why in all the hells you're so pissed off!"

                "And I don't get why you're so inconsiderate as to go through my backpack without even asking!"

                Unfortunately, that was the stronger noise that serenaded the villagers and the quarrelling two's companions. 

                Shippo peeked out of Lady Kaede's hut to see how it was fairing. Inu-Yasha and Kagome were at the small field that lay before Inu-Yasha's Forest. They both bore the same expressions: annoyance, stubbornness, and complete and utter fatigue. Even from this far off, the fox-cub could easily see that they were going to go full out if they didn't take a break. 

                "If you were hungry, you should've just said something!" Kagome yelled in exasperation, making a loud, irritated sigh. "Ugh! You don't have to be such a snoop, Inu-Yasha!"

                "What?! What do you mean, 'snoop'?! I have every right to search your backpack at _my _leisure!" he shot back; his amber eyes squinted into slits as he glared at her. "Not like you have anything worth looking at anyway."

                Shippo scrunched his eyes shut as he heard the familiar command.

                "SIT!"

                And also the familiar thud that followed.

                He quickly brought his head back into the hut and shook it with an unwavering rhythm.

                "Is it really that bad?" Sango asked, giving a half-smile that begged for some good news so it could become a full one. 

                It faded away completely as Shippo replied, "No. If anything, one of them is going to have some serious blood lust today."

                Lady Kaede shook her head, her mouth caught in a straight line of understanding on the wrinkled face. "Aye, those two are really at it today. They are much more calm with each other than when they began the journey—"

                THUD!

                "--yet, they have been squabbling more than ever." Lady Kaede strained her acting skills as she pretended not to notice the sound of Inu-Yasha's body meeting the ground. A few strings of curses followed and wafted into the silence of the hut.

                "Well," Miroku began, running a finger down his staff, "both Inu-Yasha and—"

                THUD! THUD!

                "—Lady Kagome have been going nonstop. Sango and myself have had more rest than them, I suppose." His fingers clenched onto his staff at each of the thuds, feeling some kindred spirit bond with his hanyou friend. _If only he could learn some suavity…._

                Sango nodded her head, cringing as she heard more cuss words spewed than sand on the shore. Or a better comparison would be more cuss words than dust on the ground…. "Especially since they have to contend with not only Naraku like the rest of us but—"

                THUD! WHAM!

                _Sounds like Kagome hit him over the head with something_. "—they also have had to deal with this whole stupid Kikyo situation."

                Shippo frowned. "I don't get it. Inu-Yasha should've realized by now that Kagome's much more important. For one thing, she isn't always trying to—"

                THUD! WHAM! WHAM! THUD!

                A short cussing spree followed before Shippo half-heartedly finished with a sweat drop, "—kill him."

                Silence from the foursome in the hut followed, even though the bickering outside still hadn't ceased.

                Sango sighed after about four or five more minutes of noises, complete with mental images. "They need a break. A vacation."

                Miroku's head lifted from his chest, snapping out of his meditation. _A vacation…. _He stood up. "Lady Sango, you are brilliant." He flashed a bright smile at her.

                She raised a suspicious eyebrow at him. "What do you want, monk?"

                He waved his hand at her. "Nothing at the moment. Lady Kaede, a word with you, please."

                "Of course," the old woman said as she got up, setting her mortar and pestle down, following the young Buddhist monk into the back room.

                Shippo glanced over to the demon exterminator who was stroking Kirara. "What do you suppose Miroku means?"

                "In which way: as in the discussion he's having with Lady Kaede or what he'll want later?"

                "Ugh! That's it!" Kagome flopped onto a log. "I can't take this anymore!"

                Inu-Yasha removed his face from the ground, dust still settling. _"You_ can't take it anymore! You didn't just go through roughly nineteen 'sit' commands! Fuck, I'm even lucky if I can even prop myself up on my elbows!"

                "SIT!"

                WHAM!

                As Inu-Yasha dutifully splat to the ground again, the girl gave him a sardonic grin while she casually said, "Now you can make it an even twenty." Kagome sighed, rubbing a hand over her eyes as she got up. "I'm going home…."

                "Fine! Go home!" Inu-Yasha hollered from the ground, to her retreating back. "I don't give a damn!" 

                Kagome froze as she felt something tug inside of her, and tears forming in her eyes. She stormed off, fists clenched tightly at her sides, refusing to let him see her in such a state. "You big, stupid, half-demon jerk!"__

                The hanyou blinked as he peeled himself off the ground and rose stiffly to his feet. "What's her problem? Oh, well, at least she didn't sit me again…." He grimaced as he shook his body out, which was more than slightly painful. "Sheesh, what a mental case," he mumbled, as he ran into the forest named after him, ablaze with color, going in the opposite direction of the girl. "She didn't have to get so defensive about her stupid bag."

                As Kagome was tearfully, as well as irritated, stomped her way to the Bone-Eaters Well, she met up with Sango. 

                "Hi, Kagome…." Sango fiddled with the strap on Hiraigotsu. "I heard the fight between you and Inu-Yasha."

                "Who didn't?" the raven-haired girl asked resignedly. "He's such a jerk."

                Sango patted her friend's shoulder as they reached the side of the well and sat on the lip of it. "Don't worry. He's a guy. A half-demon, but still he's a guy." Kirara jumped into her lap. "Be glad he isn't like that lecherous monk."

                Kagome smiled slightly as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but you like Lord Miroku after all."

                At that, the demon exterminator flushed, absently stroking Kirara. "I-I do not like that pervert!" She gave the small cat-demon a tiny squeeze, to which she protested with a short mew.

                Kagome smiled one of her cheerful, all-knowing, matchmaker smiles. "Uh- huh, sure, Sango. Like I really believe that."

                The girl choked back her words as she spluttered and flushed more. "H-hey! Well, what about you and Inu-Yasha, hmm?"

                Kagome's smile faltered and her eyes wandered about, resting for a moment on the very-much-deflated yellow backpack slung over her shoulder. "I don't care. Inu-Yasha is Inu-Yasha…. He's Kikyo's. He always goes back to her." She turned her grey eyes to the ground and sighed. _That's right…. He'll always be Kikyo's…. And me…_

"Kagome…." Sango murmured in a caring, almost sisterly voice as Kirara moved to the other girl's lap and nuzzled and licked her chin. "You know that's not true." 

                She kicked some of the autumnal leaves around with her foot. "I…I'm just his shard detector…." She stroked the cat-demon, who mewed loudly and shook her white and black head.  
                "You are not! Inu-Yasha's saved you countless times! He cares so much more deeply for you than he's willing to admit! He's scared…."  
                Kagome shook her head slightly; inside knowing what Sango said made sense and was pretty accurate. "What am I rambling all this stuff for? Forget it, Sango." She tilted her head as she smiled reassuringly at her. "I'm sorry I even said anything…. But I'm still mad at him. He could at least be more considerate about asking to go through my backpack."

                Sango nodded, laughing a little. "It's to be expected."

                Inu-Yasha angrily came to a skidding halt when he reached the edge of the village. "Stupid girl…. Why does she have to take everything as a personal offense?"

                "You shouldn't be speaking, Inu-Yasha," Miroku pointed out as he came up to the scowling hanyou.

                "Feh. I'm not some over-filled emotional reservoir." He crossed his arms and tossed his nose in the air, knowing full well his eyes weren't displaying the same tone as in his voice.

                "Oh, ho? You're not? Then why do you get so jealous when Lady Kagome is in Kouga's company?"

                A twinge of envy panged in the dog-demon's heart. "She could do better than him!" he sounded, whipping his head around to face the gently grinning monk.

                "So you are jealous? Ah, it is to be expected…. Perhaps the saying is true then: stupidity is truly boundless."

                Inu-Yasha growled, realizing he'd been played like the wild card in a game of poker; Miroku had just laid down a royal flush, all hearts, and he was the joker in the mix. "Step off. I'm not jealous over her. I'm just saying she could do better. Hell, a rock is better than that wimpy wolf."

                Miroku sighed as he shook his head, which pissed off the demon more. "I am saying you have nothing to worry about when it comes to Lady Kagome…. You do so love denial—"

                "Miroku! Inu-Yasha!" Shippo yelled, running towards them from the forest.

                "What is it, brat?" the dog-demon asked, staring quizzically down at the kid.

                "It's Kagome!" he panted. "Naraku's after her!"

                _Naraku! _Inu-Yasha took off, sniffing the air for Kagome's scent, Shippo riding on Miroku's shoulder. "Are you sure it was Naraku?!" he inquired swiftly, eyes darting around anxiously.

                "I think it might've been a kugutsu, but I could be wrong. She's over at the well."

                The hanyou and the monk both increased their speed. Upon reaching the Bone-Eaters Well, they slid to a halt. 

                "Where is he?!" Inu-Yasha snarled, his eyes apprehensively searching the fiery monochromatic color scheme carpeted beneath his feet and in the trees that contrasted against the cerulean sky.

                The two looked up at him, still seated on the lip of the well.

                "Who?" Kagome asked, still caressing Kirara's white and black fur.

                "Naraku!"

                "Well, we don't know at the moment, do we?"

                Inu-Yasha gawked at her, his nose now about touching hers. Slowly, he swiveled his head to glare at the fox-demon perched on the monk's shoulder. "What are you pulling, fox?" He felt a prickle on the back of his neck.

                He dove behind the young Buddhist monk's head. "N-nothing! I'm just doing as I was told."

                "He speaks the truth, Inu-Yasha," Lady Kaede said, emerging from behind a tree and standing beside Miroku.

                Sango rose and stood next to the old lady priestess. "He is."  
                Kagome and Inu-Yasha exchanged befuddled glances.

                Miroku walked over to them. "You two have been working the hardest, and so you deserve a rest." He continued speaking before either could get a word in edgewise. "Further more, on behalf of myself, Sango, and Lady Kaede, we are very sorry. "

                "Huh? Wha?" the startled pair said as the monk pushed both of them back into the well, tipping them over the edge simultaneously. 

"Have a nice trip you two!" he shouted down as they began to mesh through the fabric of time.

"Miroku, you bastard, I'm going to kick your—" Inu-Yasha was cut off as he and Kagome disappeared.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Hey, everyone! This is another story I thought up. Yes, I know, first chapter is short. I'm still working on "The Mysterious Little Visitor" but I've been meaning to work on this one too a bit. *thinks* _ok, I have a lot I'm meaning to work on…._ Anyways, this is the basic first author's note, except I have an exclusive interview with everyone's favorite houshi, Miroku!           

Miroku: *bows his head* I am honored to be here.

Thanks for coming on such short notice. Now, Miroku, why shove Kagome and Inu-Yasha in the well?

Miroku: *hand begins to wander* I merely believed they need some time to cool off.

*swats his hand away* I see. Any other comments?

Miroku: Not many. But I have a question.

No, I will not bear your child…. Ok, enough with trying to touch me! I'll beat the snot out of you! Better yet…Sango!

Sango: *sees Miroku and narrows her eyes*

*steps out and pulls down the extremely convenient black curtain* Due to problems within in my control, this concludes my author's note.

*screen ripples as banging and brawling continues*

What a violent chapter….

Anyway, see ya later!

~Moonlight Shadow

Japanese used:

kugutsu: (if my memory serves me well) puppet/golem

hanyou: half-demon/half-breed/half-youkai

youkai: (basically) a demon

houshi—Buddhist monk

P.S. E-mail me at: hanyou_miko_dreamer@hotmail.com I love comments and reviews! ^^


	2. Surprises Beyond the Well

_Chapter 2: __Surprises Beyond the Well_

                Inu-Yasha and Kagome landed at the bottom of the Bone-Eaters Well—actually, to be technical, Inu-Yasha landed on the bottom of the well and Kagome fell on top of him. The two groaned as they separated and sat on their own plot of dirt in the darkness.

                "What the fuck does he think he's doing?!" the annoyed demon growled, though his usual bark was lacking.

                The girl dusted off her green skirt and sighed. "I don't know, but it's not very funny." She felt around with her hands next to her. "Hmm…ah! There it is!"

                "What?"

                "My backpack."

                Inu-Yasha pointed a finger at where he figured she was. "It's all that stupid backpack's fault!"

                "Huh?" her confused voice replied through the well's blackness.

                "Yeah, you heard me! It's because of that stupid thing that we got into an argument!"

                "It is not! It's because you can't just say 'please' like a normal person!" Kagome slung the bag over her shoulder again.

                "Tch. I'm a demon. I don't know where it says I have to have manners." He crossed his arms. _Why can I barely see her?_

                "Whatever. Anyway, how's about we get out of the well? This place is starting to get a little drafty." She rubbed a hand over her opposite arm.

                With a bit of a sneering tone, he snorted, "Feh, fine, you weak human." He crouched down. "Climb on and I'll jump us out."

                Presuming which shadow was his outline, Kagome was able to mount the hanyou's back, making sure her pack was secure, and was about to flick one of his ears for being a jerk, when he leapt into the air. 

                Sorry to say, but, Inu-Yasha didn't make it much further than a fifth of the way, if even that. The pair came crashing back down, Kagome on top again. 

                She groaned, staring incredulously down through the dark at the back of Inu-Yasha's head. "What's wrong, Inu-Yasha? Surely you aren't getting _that_ feeble in your old age."

                He snorted as he pushed her off, making her slide onto her rear. "Shut up…. Huh?" 

                The girl could tell he was patting his face or something. "What is it?"

                "Nothing," he snapped, his hands not ceasing their hasty, blind search.

                Kagome shook her head, desperately wishing for a long, hot shower, feeling her way to the rope ladder her family had thrown for her into the Bone-Eaters Well. She gave it a tug, to make sure it was still secure, and proceeded to scale up. She stopped and turned to her Feudal companion, peering into the shadows. "Well, are you coming or what?"

                "I'm staying here!" Inu-Yasha gruffly yelled up through the darkness. 

                Before she resumed her climb with a shrug, she noticed something. _Inu-Yasha's youki…it's gone! He's…. _The girl's shocked realization hit as she inquired, which came out more as a statement,"You've gone human?! How?!"

                "Huh? How'd you figure that?" his dumbfounded voice wafted up.

                "Because your demon aura is gone."

                "Keh."

                She jumped down again. "Come on, Inu-Yasha. Don't be difficult. It's obvious we can't get back to the Feudal period. They probably set up a barrier or something. That'd explain why you're human."

                He angrily sighed. "Fine." The boy searched sightlessly until he was sure he found her hand and, using her as leverage, stood up. _Her hands are soft…softer and smoother than anything I've ever felt, and so warm…so full of life and loving-kindness…._

                She led him by the hand, the other patting the cold stones over to the ladder, and they both ascended. When they both set their feet on the other side of the well, Kagome brought Inu-Yasha, once again by the hand, to one of the taper candles and looked him over.

                She was right.

                His hair had changed from the moonlit silver to a deep, jet black; his normally amber orbs were now an equally expressive violet; and his claws, fangs, and cute, furry dog-ears were replaced by human traits. He would've seemed totally serene, framed by the candlelight, shadows making deep contrasts in the valleys of his features, if he hadn't been scowling quite so noticeably.

                Inu-Yasha realized his appearance, but for some reason, he felt his frown gradually slipping off his countenance. He kept gazing into Kagome's large, beautiful, grey eyes; framed by thick, dark lashes as the blustery wind that whooshed through the window blew her raven hair dancing about her face. __

_                She has such a kind and gentle heart, and it shines through. It's like her inner beauty is breathed out into her physical appearance. _Inu-Yasha shook his head, doing his best to hide his slight blush. His heart hammered in his chest, he was wondering if she could hear, because he sure could.  Why was he being so…nervous around her? It was Kagome. No big deal…right? "So, what do we do?" he inquired, forcing his normal gruffness over his minute stutter. 

                "Um…. I'm not sure." She didn't notice the wavering in the boy's tone. "But I think we should go inside and eat, or we're going to get really cold and hungry."

                He grunted his concurrence and started his way ahead of her through the sliding doors of the mini-shrine, the sky now growing dusky, and a good layer of autumnal leaves covering the ground. The breeze still moved gently.

                Kagome shut the doors and trotted up behind him. "Hey, Inu-Yasha, stop for a sec. I think I see a clue."

                Peering at her wonderingly for a moment, he ceased walking. "What'd you find?" He felt her lift his long hair off the back of his neck. He felt the chilly wind hit his sensitive skin and he shivered slightly. 

                "It's a sutra," she informed from behind him. "It says:

_To seal the power of the one who runs,_

_The one who protects,_

_The one who loves._

_To stow away the greater power as it is on the new moon._

_One month from now, it shall be removed_

_That night's new moon._

"It sounds more like a poem than a spell. It must be custom made for you, Inu-Yasha." She stepped around in front of him, a pensive smile on her lips.

"Grr! I bet it was that old hag who put the spell on when I was talking to that damned fox and perverted monk!" He clenched his fists, and immediately his left hand clasped Tetsusaiga's scabbard, belted at his left hip. "Why the hell would they do this for?!"

"Well, remember what Miroku said? That we needed a vacation?" Kagome moved beside him as they continued walking, explaining her theory. "Maybe this is what they meant." She pinked a bit over the bridge of her nose, linking her index fingers together as she glanced down bashfully. "Apparently, you're stuck here with me for a month, Inu-Yasha."

"Remind me when we get back to hurt them," he grumbled.

The girl looked at him, seemingly a little hurt. Her cobalt eyes appeared as if they were going to well up with tears in a moment, and her face was crestfallen. "Staying with me won't be that bad, will it?"

He shifted his gaze to see her and quickly amended, "No, no. It's not that. I just hate the fact that they tricked us."  __

She nodded. "Ok then," she replied, sounding much more cheerful. 

The two continued making the short trek to the Higurashi house, not saying anything verbally, but saying much more by each other's company. The wind was blowing colder. Upon entering, the two were greeted, not only by the warm air circulating about, but also Sota, who'd been in the living room playing with Buyo the cat.

"Sis!" he cried, jumping up, to which Buyo fell off with a flop to the floor.

"Hey, Sota," she greeted, a bright smile on her face. 

He ran up and hugged her. "Wow! You're back! You've been gone for a long time, Kagome."

"Hehe, I know. But it looks like I'm getting a month vacation. So is Inu-Yasha." She grinned happily still.

"Really?" Sota peeked around his sister to see the tall boy with long, midnight black hair, in a scarlet kimono, and a sword belted at his side, glancing around the room almost nervously. 

 "Uh, hey…." In a flash, Inu-Yasha found the child clutching onto his waist, greeting him like an old, dearly missed, friend. A quiet smile crept across his lips. He gave a slight chuckle.

"Wow!" The boy stepped back and looked at the former demon carefully. "Inu-Yasha…what happened to you?"

"Eh, well…." He gave a quick look over at Kagome seated on the couch, and she nodded for him to continue. He gave his head a slight scratch before he began, thinking of how to phrase it. "Well--er--in the life of every half-demon, like me—uh--there comes a time when the power from the demonic half of their blood ebbs away, rendering them mere mortal. Miroku--you know who he is right?" he waited as the kid bobbed his head, listening intently complete with absolute adoring eyes. "Well—uh—he—um--used a sutra on me. Sutras, o-fudas, and all forms of written spells and such used for purification just—well--purify me of my demon blood and make me full human rather than killing me…. " He took in a deep breath. "Did you understand any of that?"

Sota nodded vigorously, it wouldn't have been too much of a wonder to Inu-Yasha if the kid's head fell right off his neck. "Yup."

"Hmm…. Pretty bright."

"But where is the sutra? I can't see it."

Kagome spoke up. "I don't know if there's such a thing as a time releasing sutra, but the one Miroku and Lady Kaede made for Inu-Yasha says it'll stay put for a month. I tried to see if I could move it any and it won't budge. It's underneath his hair." She walked over to the two boys and lifted Inu-Yasha's hair off the nape of his neck. "See?"

"Yeah!"

She let his hair drop as Mama and Grandpa came into the room.

"Kagome!" her mother happily exclaimed, rushing over to embrace her rarely seen daughter. "Oh, sweetheart, how are you?"

"Oh, I'm good." She grinned, hugging her mother back.

As Mama nodded, she spied Inu-Yasha. "My dear…you're human." She blinked a few times in surprise.

"Uh, yeah…" he answered quietly, not knowing what else he could say.

Grandpa gaped at the former dog-demon, circling about him. "Hmm…. Hmm…."

Getting a little annoyed with the old geezer, he piped up, "What exactly are you hmm-hmming about?"

"Ah-hah! Wouldn't you like to know!" With a strangely, semi-evil laugh, Grandpa left, giving Kagome a quick hug. 

The group stood there, a little confused.

"Grandpa has serious problems, huh, Sis?" Sota said, looking up at his sister.

She nodded, her face not at all phased, more like she expected it. "Yeah. At least some things don't change."

Mama was busily fussing over the two teenagers. "Oh my! You two look so tired! You both have horrible dark circles under your eyes. Let's sit down to dinner and then we'll talk about what to do with our extra person while he stays here." She bustled them to the dining room--the food, nice and warm, already set on the table. 

Mama and Sota sat on one side, and Kagome and Inu-Yasha sat on the side opposite. Grandpa, for the moment, was nowhere to be found. The original two seekers of the Sacred Jewel were completely starved, but ate their portions slowly. Inu-Yasha was actually using very good manners, very polite and courteous.

_Wish he'd act more like that…._ Kagome thought, watching as the boy carefully, and with much practiced ease, get a fair amount of rice and chicken to his mouth; not even a grain spilled. _Still, it's rather odd that he's so well behaved. After all, he didn't exactly get invited into fine places, I suppose…. _Her face saddened a bit. _That's really not a fair thing, excluding him just because he's half-demon. It's not like he asked to be it, did he? Some people are too superficial and prejudice._

"Have you had enough, Inu-Yasha?" asked Mama with a smile.

With a nod, and quiet voice, appearing a little startled, Inu-Yasha responded, "Ah, mm, yes, Ma'am. It was all very good." He gave an anxious bow from his position on his knees. "Thank you." He peered down over his nose, blushing a tiny bit.

That definitely wasn't the way he'd greeted Kagome's family when he came for her the first time. Even now, he still felt a little funny, especially since he'd interrupted their dinner.

She bobbed her head and smiled in return. "Well, all right, if you're sure. Well, if you're hungry, feel free to tell one of us."

"Um, yes, thank you, again." Inu-Yasha stopped his politeness for a moment long enough to glance over at Grandpa.

The old geezer was scowling rather disapprovingly at the former hanyou, the gray eyebrows knitted up in contemplative condemnation of the boy who was always whisking his granddaughter off to the era of monsters and legends. "Hmph," was the only noise that came out of from the wrinkled mouth. 

"Choking on something, old man?" he asked, straining back the supreme scoffing sound, and settling with the underlying, overly polite sarcasm.

Another, "Hmph," followed and Gramps rose to his feet. "I have to get to working on some more spirit wards. You never know," he glowered at Inu-Yasha, who merely snorted, "when a _demon_ might appear on the grounds." He rose to his feet and snuck off to make o-fuda and sutra. 

Kagome closed her eyes and shook her head. Making sure he was out of earshot, she remarked, "I guess Gramps still hasn't realized that he doesn't have any spiritual power…."

"That's for sure," Sota agreed, spooning some more rice into his bowl.

The rest of the dinner was rather peaceful, quiet conversation. Kagome and Inu-Yasha just listened to Sota and Mama chat. The house was warm, fighting against the freeze outside. The room seemed softer, and more inviting than it ever had to either of the two.

Mama swept off some dishes from the table, followed closely by Sota, still chattering animatedly.

"I really like Inu-Yasha, Mama," he was saying when they entered the kitchen.

His mother smiled. "I think he is a good boy at heart. A little misunderstood, but he seems to care very much for Kagome."

Sota bobbed his head in agreement, and almost lost control of the bowl of stew he was carrying. "Oops!" He managed to keep the sloshing liquid under control. "Well, Kagome cares a lot about him. They sometimes act a bit funny around each other. You know, like they share a secret that no one else knows."

Mama smiled, setting some of the dirty plates in the sink. "Well, that's because the do, Sota. They share a secret just between themselves. It's a special bond they share, even if they don't always realize it, those two are quite close."

"Yeah, you're right, Mom." Sota set the stew on the stove and began heading back to the dining room. He stopped, and whirled around once he'd entered the doorway. "Hey, Mom, I think you ought to see this."

"Hmm?" Curious, Mrs. Higurashi obeyed her son's beckoning hand and came into the entryway behind him.

At the table sat Inu-Yasha and Kagome; however, they had fallen asleep, lying against the wall somewhat. Kagome had leaned over and laid her head against Inu-Yasha's shoulder, resting against the front of his shoulder and part of his chest, her lips brushing against the fabric of his shirt with his head was lolled on top of hers. The boy had one arm wrapped protectively around her waist, to which the girl had thrown an arm over the forearm, and his other hand was at the ready, resting on the hilt of his sword. Behind them, the interrupted form of a bow and quiver full arrows was present; Kagome's free arm was leaned back a bit, her fingers gracing over the bowstring gently.

Mama, grinning softly and knowingly, only looked away from the touching scene when she saw some small snowflakes drifting outside the window.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Ok, I've updated. Sorry about the delay. Yes, I didn't have my writing program, but I got it for my sweet 16 so now I'm catching up on some much needed writing…. Hehe! Yes, I do write other things than just Inu-Yasha fan fiction, but that, however, is going to be a book, someday. I still have a ways to go. In any case, I really appreciate all the reviews I've been getting for Shikon High! I'll try to write when I can. Currently, my 10 year-old-niece is playing the Inu-Yasha fighting game and waiting for me to join her in my room. 

Inu-Yasha: My fighting game?

Yeah, I almost always play you or Kagome. Or demonic you…scary though….

Inu-Yasha: *puffs up with pride* So, no making fun of me today?

Nope, no in the mood Inu-Yasha. Just going to let you off easy today. 

Inu-Yasha: What's the catch?

Catch? Oh, nothing, just I'm going to have you lose to Shippo…that is, when my niece is playing you against me.

Inu-Yasha: What?! You're actually gonna—

Just shut up this time, smile, and say bye-bye.

Inu-Yasha: Yeah, yeah, later.

Quickie, I'm on both FanFiction.net and MediaMiner.org. Thanks again, and please write to me at: hanyou_miko_dreamer@hotmail.com

Till then, ja ne!

~Moonlight shadow

Japanese used:

youki—demon energy

nani—what (originally, in the A/N Inu-Yasha was going to say that) 


	3. Competition

_Disclaimer: _I'm beginning to lose track on how many of these stupid things I've done. Inu-Yasha and co. belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and any other place she deems worthy to help out with our favorite half-demon dog boy. I wish I did own him so I could play with his ears. ^^;

_Chapter 3: __Competition_

                Having been woken up, only to be shuffled upstairs, Kagome and Inu-Yasha went to the girl's room. Not even bothering to turn on the lights, Kagome slid into her bed, clothes still on, and nodded off as soon as her head touched the pillow. Her traveling companion from the Sengoku Jidai merely slumped to the floor, and returned to dreamland.

                Noise…there was some noises floating into his ears. Inu-Yasha rolled over on the blue carpeted floor, emitting a slight groan. Someone had covered him with a blanket. Who had it been: the girl's mom, her little brother, or Kagome? Either way, it was soft and warm, just like the cushion beneath his head.

There was that damned racket again! Huh…wait a minute…that sounded like…barking? Fuck, was he barking in his sleep _again?_ He didn't remember any bad dreams…. 

He was starting to open his eyes. That's when he heard another yip, right into his human ear. "Ack!" Inu-Yasha shot straight up, the green blanket falling off his chest, huffing from shock. Shifting his gaze, he saw a…a…a…puppy! The hell…

The pup yipped happily, chased its tail for moment before skittering out of the bedroom. Judging by the sound, Inu-Yasha inferred that it was heading down to the living room. 

He stretched his arms, arching his back, before flopping forward. His onyx locks fell over his chest again, and he blinked the sleep from his eyes. Standing up, the hanyou-turned-human took the fluffy, bottle-green bedspread and tossed it onto Kagome's bed. Adjusting his clothes and double checking Tetsusaiga was still tied at his hip, Inu-Yasha ambled out. Taking the steps in twos, the boy made it midway to hear familiar giggling. 

Venturing a bit quicker now, he found, upon reaching the foot of the stairs, Kagome laughing, her head thrown back slightly, trying to fend off the puppy from earlier as it yipped and yapped…. What?! It was licking her?! Inu-Yasha started to growl from the audacity of it all, even though it wasn't as terrifying as it was when he was 'normal'. "YOU!" he shouted as he snatched the little, black puppy up by the scruff of the neck. It whimpered and squirmed in protest as Inu-Yasha inspected it. "AHA! I _KNEW_ IT! It's a male! That dirty bastard…." He tossed the pup down again. 

He whined at Inu-Yasha, who snarled again and glowered. The puppy howled as it scuttled into Kagome's lap.

The girl sat there, very much perplexed, a hand stroking the little dog's fur. "I-Inu-Yasha…why are you mad at Choco?" She blinked as the boy's veins popped.

Pointing his finger at the pup in an accusatory fashion, he yelled, "Because, _Choco_ was _licking_ you!" 

To anyone else who was outside of the Higurashi family would've thought that Inu-Yasha's reasoning was a bit absurd. To Kagome, on the other hand, it wasn't too odd. "Calm down—" she began to say before Choco started a renewed licking frenzy all over the girl's face and neck, his tail wagging insanely as he placed his front paws on her pink and black patched, pajama clad chest. "EEK! Stop! That tickles!" 

In a flash, the pup was no longer on her lap, but was staring straight into the pissed-off, violet eyes of the former half-dog-demon as he hung precariously up by his fur. Choco started crying once more, writhing as  he attempted to free himself.

"Don't do that!" Inu-Yasha shouted, tossing Choco to the carpeted floor. Grabbing the girl by the hand and wrenching her upwards into him, he possessively snarled, "She's mine! You hear me! Kagome is mine!" He gave a predatory bark at the puppy, meaning: _She's my mate so fuck off, kid! _

Choco gave a curious tilt of his head as he yipped, wagging his tail subserviently. 

That's when Inu-Yasha realized it. He was standing there, one arm encircling Kagome, pressing her tightly against his chest, proclaiming she was his…. He audibly gulped, pupils retracting whilst his heart pounded anxiously and that oh-so-familiar hotness swept over his face. "U-um…." Oh, yeah, real intelligent choice of words. He didn't even dare to look down at her, his nose just a beat above her wisps of hair. _I…just told that pup…that Kagome…was my mate!_ He gulped again.

"Uh…." Well, at least he wasn't alone in the last place slot for witty lexes. Kagome's heart was beginning to run at top speed and surpassing the max. Was it because he was embracing her so firmly, or was it because of what he said? Her head was swimming as he finally released her and peered at her intently, crimson face. It was both reasons, she concluded, grinning softly at him. 

Inu-Yasha was quite aware that his visage wasn't fairing any better than hers. He chewed his bottom lip as he pondered if there was anything to break their awkward silence, spare the annoying, yapping pup.

"Um, well, breakfast is ready…" Kagome feebly mumbled, turning away and meandered into the kitchen. _What came over him? I mean sure he's a male dog-demon but surely he can't be jealous over a single, boy puppy? _The girl's mind flashed back to all the times he'd been envious and gotten angry with seemingly no reason. She sweat dropped at her observation. _Yup, he'd get jealous over pretty much anything…._

Not knowing what else to do, Inu-Yasha followed the girl and sat at the table when she gestured him to. The table already had three plates set; they were white with blue ivy trim. Sota was laying down napkins and the utensils; he shot a brief smile to the boy prior to sitting on one side of him. 

That's when Kagome brought a pan of something over to him. She set that down and came back with two different bottles with some form of sticky stuff in it. One was purplish and the other was more brownish in color. She lifted off the pan's lid to reveal odd circles of cake, which were a golden brown, and started to put a few on her plate while she sat down beside him. Sota did the same thing.

Inu-Yasha watched them for a moment. "What are these things?" he asked curiously.

"They're pancakes," Sota gleefully said as he poured the funny, brown, sticky stuff on the cakes. "And this is maple syrup. It's really good. Sis is using boysenberry syrup."

He nodded slowly, before endeavoring to take a few pancakes and place them on his plate. He stared at them. Then he added boysenberry syrup, after studying how Kagome drizzled it on. All right, that didn't look bad, not bad at all. But…he didn't know how to use the foreign utensils. Only the knife was recognizable. Inu-Yasha glanced helplessly at Kagome, who simply smiled and leaned over to help him.

"This is a fork," she told him, holding it up, "and this is a spoon."

Fork and spoon, the spoon looks like a scoop and the fork looks like a trident. "How do I use them?"

"Here." Kagome laid her hands over his, after placing the fork and knife in the correct hands, and began to cut up the pancakes.

Once again, his mind wandered to other things instead of how to use the peculiar objects. Inu-Yasha hated this, but absolutely loved it. He would get lost in himself when he was around her, even when he was hanyou. The thing was that while he was hanyou, he was hell of a lot better at hiding how he felt. This act of keeping his big, flapping mouth shut was quite a feat. 

"That make sense now?" she asked, her hands leaving his.

Inu-Yasha nodded, feeling that light blush creep over the bridge of his nose. "Uh-huh." He paid attention in the first thirty seconds to figure out the gist of it. He stabbed a square of syrup-covered pancake and popped it in his mouth. Instantly deciding it was good, he gobbled his portion.

After breakfast, Kagome began to clear off the table while Sota headed outside, saying that, "Mom said it's ok that I go over to Keneichi's house. I'll be home around dinner."

"All right, but be careful!" she'd called to her younger brother.

"I will!"

The girl sighed. "That little runt," she mumbled, picking up Inu-Yasha's plate, "leave me to do all the dishes will he." Plopping the plates cautiously into the soapy dishwater, Kagome heard something moving behind her.

A gruff, young man's voiced queried nervously, "Um, do you need me to dry?"

She shifted her gaze and saw out of the corner of her eye, Inu-Yasha holding a white-and-green-checked dish towel. Softly, she grinned. "Sure. I really appreciate that."

"Y-yeah, it's no problem." He anxiously smiled back.

For a few minutes, they worked in silence; Kagome would hand him an item, and Inu-Yasha would dry and stack. It was calming for them to be together without the whining of Shippo, Miroku's lechery closely followed by Sango's rage. Flurries fluttered past the window on the gusts of chilled wind, some adhering to the glass. They were safe inside the warm of the house. Buyo the cat was asleep on the breakfast table, his nose sniffing out any remaining tidbits.

Inu-Yasha saw the frost on the ground, and estimated that it had snowed roughly two inches last night—though he didn't call them inches, about half his ring finger's height. He took a glass from the girl next to him and continued to contemplate on the happenings thus far. _I've been turned into a human by the stupid sutra, and I'm going to be here with Kagome for a month. _He glanced over at her at just the right moment for her to gently smile and tip her head before returning to her task. _Which…could not be a _totally_ bad thing…no, not bad necessarily. I just miss…. _What did he miss? Home? Was that what that place was, the Sengoku Jidai? Home? Everyone supposedly had a home, but did he? And if so, was it Kaede's village, some far off place in the Western part of Japan where he grew up as a kid, or was it the tree that he had been enchanted to so intimately for fifty, long years?

"It's pretty…isn't it?" Kagome asked, breaking him out of his ponderings. She ceased her washing of a rather large pot that Inu-Yasha recognized as the stew pot from the previous night. She leaned over the sink a tad, to get a better view through the frosted glass. "I love snow. I think it's absolutely gorgeous. My dad used to take me out there when I was a little kid, and we'd go sledding or build a snow man or something…." She sighed in soft content, nostalgia sweeping over her. It hit her, as hard a snowball of the season would that Inu-Yasha had no real blood-family; spare his jerk-brother Sesshomaru. She opened her mouth to speak but was halted by faint chuckling.

"I don't know what a snowman is," the boy laughed, "but I do know what it was like to play in the snow with my mom. The servants used to get so mad at us, insisting it wasn't good for us to play like that…that we'd get sick…." His voice trailed off, yet he retained a more cheerful disposition when he continued. "Yeah…we had faithful servants at one point, loyal ones that neither cared about Mother and Dad's relationship, nor did they care I was a half-breed." He shook his head, a tiny grin finding refuge on his lips. "It was the rest of the world that did care. And that made all the difference." Inu-Yasha turned his mauve orbs onto Kagome. "What…happened to your dad?"

The girl was in such a stupor from the fact that he had just up and opened to her that she almost missed his question. "Oh, my father? Well, he died…when I was ten. They say it was an accident, but, now I wonder if it really was, or if it was a demon that sensed the Shikon no Tama in me. It truly makes me wonder…never can be too sure any more, huh?" Kagome turned her head and smiled at him, quietly. Her ebony hair fell serenely on her blue sweater, dotted with snowflakes as she recalled things. "Dad was amazing. He was always so kind and gentle, but he was funny and protective of Mom and me."

Inu-Yasha nodded deafly. It had never occurred to him that someone like Kagome had suffered such a loss, yet had managed to still go on through her life, without a father. It made him really question that, if  all these years, he'd been wallowing in self-pity. He heard a scrubbing noise, and the irritated sounds coming from the girl.

"Ugh, this dumb thing has food stuck to it and it won't come off!" Kagome growled, still attempting to scour the pot. 

Inu-Yasha shook his head. "You stupid girl," he stood to the rear of her, wrapping his arms over hers, "don't you know how to do anything right?" He rested a hand on one of hers, the other clasping over her slender fingers, gripping the pot. He began manipulating her hand that held the scouring pad, moving it in circular motions. "Fuck, Kagome, even a moron could tell you that this needs to be cleaned in circles, not back and forth. That's how you remove this."

Kagome bowed her head silently, taken aback that Inu-Yasha was even touching her, and so closely nonetheless that she unconsciously disregarded what his exact wording was. Her heart would always zip into overdrive when he was near to her; especially so when he'd protect her. It was a somewhat rare event from him to do something like this. Yeah, sure she'd ride on his back and stuff like that, or she'd hug him, and a few times he'd hugged her, but he was close behind her; so near, in fact, she could feel his warm breath in her ear at steady intervals. It sent shivers down her spine, and his calloused palms were so deft at so many things, like helping her scrub at moment, that this whole ordeal was…amazing…. Hot blush was rising and Kagome was well aware. 

Inu-Yasha, flushing madly as well, eventually removed his hands and returned to his drying post, smirking to himself. _I…I actually did it! I was practically holding her in my arms, and I could feel her body sway back into my chest, her heartbeat rapid…. Did I…do that to her?_ Drying off another bowl, the boy couldn't help but grin wider as he caught sight of her cheeks. _Hah! I did do it! Not that wimpy wolf or that stupid pup…._

"Thanks, Inu-Yasha, it makes sense." She wet her lips, finishing her last plate and passing it to him.

"Yeah…whatever…. It was no problem."

Waiting till he was finished, the pair returned everything to the cabinets. After a few seconds of double checking, Kagome piped up, "Well, first thing, we need to get you some new clothes."

"WHAT?! What's wrong with what I'm wearing right now?" Inu-Yasha questioned, pointing to his red cloak and pants. 

She sighed and shook her head. "Because no one really wears stuff like that anymore with the exception at a festival. We wear more Westernized clothing, and most everyone knows English nowadays. We're going to have to lock away Tetsusaiga as well."

Inu-Yasha growled. "First, you insist I wear funny clothes like the boys in your time do, and I know what they look like. Then, second, you lock up my sword!"

Waving a placatory hand, she ignored him and went on. "It'll be safeguarded, I promise. But we can't have people wondering about your clothes. Oh, and we'll have to get you shoes. If you step on something, it'll really hurt even your feet."

He snorted. "Feh, fine. Whatever." Crossing his arms, he pretended that he was ignoring her giggling fit.

"All right, well, I have some of my dad's old clothes. You can borrow those. I think your feet are the same size as his. I'm not sure," she mumbled, leading him into the living room again, the puppy curled up into a ball in the corner. She heard Inu-Yasha scoff behind her. "Anyway, it won't be so bad. I promise." With that, Kagome trotted up the stairs.

Inu-Yasha slouched onto the couch, tossing a pillow at the pup, making it whine in his sleep. He smirked happily…was that a bit sadistic? Shrugging that question off, he took in the dimensions of the room. It had beige carpeting, one of those funny box things where people magically appeared, and some family pictures lining the walls. 

Getting back up slowly, Inu-Yasha edged his way to one family portrait in particular. Let's see…well, he knew that was Kagome's mom, and the whelp in her arms must've been Sota, the little girl was obviously Kagome—kind of a cute, little kid—and the man must've been her dad. She looked a lot like him. Inu-Yasha grinned. Now he knew exactly what the wench's appearance was when she was small. She still had that slightly innocent face, and was still very pretty…ack! There he went again with mentally complimenting her.

A few moments later, Kagome bounced down the stairs. "Here, try these on." She handed him some of the garments in her arms and he gawked at them quizzically. 

"And I'm supposed to put them on _how?"_

The girl grinned. "Oh, I'm sure you can figure it out. You're pretty smart, Inu-Yasha."

"Yeah," he grunted, "thanks for the left-handed compliment…." Feeling only slightly insulted and slightly pleased, the boy-turned-human sauntered up to Kagome's room, where he stripped. It seemed rather unorthodox to be removing his clothing, like she was going to accidentally walk in on him. He tucked the Tetsusaiga in Kagome's closet, figuring it would be safe there. Just for extra comfort for him psychologically, he threw some of the clothes that had fallen from their hangers on it, making it opaque. Still tinged with nervousness, he decided it would be best to get to the matter at hand and get dressed before his fears became vivid reality.

First thing, he figured out the short sleeved shirt, not too hard. The things that looked like…um…shorts! Yeah, that was it, shorts, they were weird looking and still wrapped in plastic. Shrugging, he extracted them from the clear wrapping and put them on. Then there were the strange, blue pants. They were rather rough compared to what he was used to, but they seemed thick enough. _Might be good for the cold as well as protection,_ he thought, slipping them on. He buttoned the top, but was trying to figure out the odd metal thingy on the flap. _I wonder…. _He zipped and narrowly missed crunching a very sensitive part of himself. Inu-Yasha released his breath, eyes huge. _What the fuck was that thing?! A male torture device?!_ Grumbling continually as he descended, ticked-off as ever, he found Kagome seated on the couch.

The sight of her made him forget everything. Sesshoumaru could've asked him to give him the Tetsusaiga and he wouldn't have even thought twice.

She must have gotten changed in one of the rooms on that level. She was really pretty…no, scratch that, beautiful! Kagome had a white dress on with pink flowers blooming on it, a cerulean jacket spread on her lap. Her hair was brushed and was a lot shinier than it had been earlier; she probably took a bath prior to his awakening and chose to slip on pajamas after. Smiling up at him, the girl greeted him. "Hey, looking good." She rose and made her way to him, leaving her jacket on the couch, where Buyo the cat hastily moved his chubbiness onto the article of clothing.  _He looks really good.... _Kagome blushed a tiny bit as she moved up to him. "Oh, you have the tag facing the wrong way. It should be in back."

"Ok." Inu-Yasha whipped his shirt off, and Kagome got a good view of his muscles, deepening her redness, and he slipped it back on correctly. "Better?"

"Uh…uh-huh…." She bobbed her head, caught in a brief stupor. "I already have your shoes on the landing. Here." She tossed a cyan jacket to him, which he caught with ease. Shoving her fat cat off, after his many, protesting meows, the girl snatched her jacket as well. 

The proceeded to the landing, where Kagome posted a note for her mother that stated where they were going, and they put on their shoes; the girl had to help Inu-Yasha with the laces. Opening the door, they were greeted with chilled squalls, blowing a few snowflakes dancing in. Hustling to lock it, they left the house, sneakers crunching on the frosty sidewalk and down the frozen steps of the Sunset Shrine.

For a bit, they were silent; Kagome enjoying the quiet company—well, as quiet as a street on Tokyo could be—and Inu-Yasha was absolutely fascinated by all the things around him. Sure, he'd been around Tokyo before, this weird city, but only once did he get a brief glimpse. All the other times, it dealt with either saving the girl or bringing her back where she belonged.

A few snowflakes fluttered upon them, yet it was a succinct occurrence. Inu-Yasha noted this, but said nothing, a small pink crossing his nose. When Kagome asked him about it, he attributed it to the cold. She mentioned something about being a little chilly herself, and the boy found her leaning tentatively against his shoulder. Unsure of what else to do, he wrapped an arm around shoulder, bending his head down to fight the oncoming rush of wind and the new blaze of embarrassment crossing his cheeks.

Meandering their way at a leisurely promenade, it seemed like a barrier of sound suddenly burst over them, like an egg cracked over their heads. The noise oozed out as they adjusted to the bustling streets of Japan's current capital. Delving deeper into the yolk of the city, Inu-Yasha could see many tall structures clustered together. Cars went whizzing by, people on bicycles, and groups of people walking along. Inu-Yasha found himself gripping on to Kagome a little tighter. He knew these things weren't demons, but still, this place was unfamiliar and he didn't like the idea of something out of the ordinary, his ordinary anyway, brushing the lightest bit with her.

He had nothing _strange_ to worry about.

"Hey! Higurashi!" the pair heard a cheerful voice call out. 

It was the norm he'd have to be wary over.

Inu-Yasha glanced over at Kagome and saw her face grow a tad pale and the fabric woven of dread stretched taut over her face. She bowed her head and gave it a petite shake. The boy craned his neck to get a sideways glimpse of the person calling to his…um, to Kagome. 

It was some dork jogging happily towards them—Inu-Yasha hoped he'd slip—with reddish hair and a humongous grin—looked feebler than that idiot Amari Nobunaga. "Hey, Kagome!" Dork boy came skidding to a halt on a slick spot of sidewalk. Inu-Yasha's wish had been so close to being granted when the guy teetered precariously, yet he'd managed to gain balance again. "How have you been feeling? It's nice to see you're out of that strange hospital way up North," the guy prattled, "but I had no idea that tuberculosis could get _that_ bad!"

Kagome's eyes got huge, pupils retracting. She emitted a noise that sounded oddly akin to whimpering. "O-oh, Hojo! It's so nice to see you," she forced out, that fake smile she always wore when Kouga would run around proclaiming her his mate prior to departing with her half-heartedly waving him off. _Please…not now…. Not Hojo._ She gazed longingly at Inu-Yasha, who in turn, cleared his throat, making his presence known.

Blinking at the other boy like he'd suddenly popped up out of nowhere, Hojo grinned like an even bigger dweeb. "Oh, hello! I don't believe we've met. I'm Hojo."

"Uh, Inu-Yasha," he answered tersely, drawing Kagome closer to him. 

Grinning, Hojo turned back to the poor girl. "Well, Higurashi, I was wondering, if it's not too much trouble, if you'd like to go to a movie sometime? Winter break starts in a week you know."

"Oh, really? Break. Um…." Kagome bit her lip. _No offense, Hojo, but you're just not my type. You're sweet and all, especially to keep trying like this, but haven't you figured out by now that our 'dates' just don't work out. I don't want to go to the movies with you. I just--_                     

  "Well, she can't," Inu-Yasha interjected suddenly into her thoughts. He looked at Kagome, gripping onto her tighter, wind swirling into their faces, her hair doing that dance over his face again with that sweet scent of jasmine and incense…. He mentally shook himself out of his trance. All right, he'd probably get sat so badly but he didn't care. Not like he could beat up this wimp. That would be cruel. This Hobo guy wasn't trained to be tough like Miroku or anything so, better verbal. If he verbally assaulted this nerd, it'd make the next week or so tense. Forcing calm into his tone was hard work. He really wanted to shout: "Fuck off buddy! She's mine! Not yours! She has always been mine and will always be mine! I'm never letting her out of my sight, hear me! Unless you'd like me to kill you now, that is." Instead, he came up with a much smoother way, like fresh-blown glass…. 

"Oh, huh?" Hojo grinned innocently again. "If she's busy hanging out with her cousin, that's understandable—"

"I'm not her cousin, idiot!" Ok, so there went smoothness…well, that of busted glass...kind of glassy…. "I'm her…her…her courting partner!" Inu-Yasha suddenly babbled out. The threesome was quiet. _I…I just said I was her…her…. Oh, I am so dead…. _His normal, fierce courage was now left behind in the Sengoku Jidai as his visage contorted into utter panic….

Kagome peered at Inu-Yasha in astonishment. _Did he really just say he was…my boyfriend?_

Softly, Hojo said, "Kagome, I thought we were together…."

"Uh, huh?" She glanced at him, and she couldn't help but feel a tad sorry for the guy. Gently, she smiled. "Hojo, I met Inu-Yasha a long time back and I don't know we just…had chemistry." _It's kind of true…I mean, we are friends but with something between us…._ "Besides, there are plenty of girls that would love to go out with you. Ayumi has a major crush on you."

"She…she does?" the boy inquired in surprise.

"Yeah! You should ask her out," Kagome went on encouragingly, bobbing her head.

"You know what, I think I will!" Hojo burst out happily. "Thank you so much, Kagome. You're a good friend. I hope you two have a nice date. Bye!" With that he skipped along…and fell smack on his ass when he hit a patch of ice. Still grinning like a fool, he slipped to his feet and tramped on around the corner.

_Well, he bounces back quickly, now doesn't he?_ Kagome thought, watching him leave. Scrutinizing his features, she looked at her companion and found he was blushing.

Before she could question, his stuttered response was, "W-well, I d-didn't want to s-s-see you with that f-f-f-fucking dumb shit…." He was still not looking at her for fear of hearing something he really wouldn't like. 

"Inu-Yasha," she cupped his face in her palm so he faced her; shock leapt from every feature. "Thank you." And, doing something she hadn't done before, Kagome Higurashi kissed Inu-Yasha the (normally) hanyou boy on the cheek.

Gawking at her, violet eyes wide with surprise, his heartbeat rapid, Inu-Yasha smiled without vacillation. "Uh, you're welcome," he replied, forgetting to add an insult.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: *long stretch* Ok, told everyone I'd update! ^^ I updated "The Mysterious Little Visitor" a week or so ago, and I will begin work on "Shikon High". I have so many ideas, but right now, I have to suppress the urge to write a few more…for now ^.~ In any case, there's not much more to say but, I need people to R+R! (Read and Review!) I really like reviews and it's been a rather slow week. *sigh*

Inu-Yasha: (human) Moonlight, what's wrong?

Oh, I'm ok. Just tired from babysitting and stuff….

Inu-Yasha: Yeah, well…um…. *looks around* Th-thanks.

Uh, what?

Inu-Yasha: Thanks for the chapter with Kagome and me…. Truce for right now?

Yeah, truce. *grins*

Anyway, that's all there's to report.

Ja ne,

~Moonlight Shadow

P.S. More one shots swirling in my head. If you haven't already, check out "Hugs and Kisses" I think it came out cute. 


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